System and method for reducing signal interference between Bluetooth and WLAN communications

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for reducing signal interference between Bluetooth (BT) and WLAN (e.g. WiFi) communications in an information handling system. The WLAN receiver has configurable front-end filter circuitry. Based upon information concerning the BT frequency region for current BT communications, the WLAN receiver can adjust or set its configurable front-end filter circuitry to filter out the BT communications. As the BT communications hop from frequency to frequency, the WLAN receiver can continue to adjust its configurable front-end filter circuitry accordingly. Example implementations for the configurable front-end filter circuitry include bandpass filters and selectable low pass and high pass filters. These filters are selected and/or tuned such that BT frequency regions are filtered from the WLAN input signal before further WLAN signal processing is conducted, thereby improving the performance of simultaneous BT and WLAN communications.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of the followingco-pending application: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/504,940,filed Aug. 16, 2006, and entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REDUCING SIGNALINTERFERENCE BETWEEN BLUETOOTH AND WLAN COMMUNICATIONS,” which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to methods and systems for reducing signalinterference between Bluetooth communications and wireless local areanetwork (WLAN) communications with respect to an information handlingsystem.

BACKGROUND

As the value and use of information continues to increase, individualsand businesses seek additional ways to process and store information.One option available to users is information handling systems. Aninformation handling system generally processes, compiles, stores,and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or otherpurposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of theinformation. Because technology and information handling needs andrequirements vary between different users or applications, informationhandling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled,how the information is handled, how much information is processed,stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the informationmay be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in informationhandling systems allow for information handling systems to be general orconfigured for a specific user or specific use such as financialtransaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage,or global communications. In addition, information handling systems mayinclude a variety of hardware and software components that may beconfigured to process, store, and communicate information and mayinclude one or more computer systems, data storage systems, andnetworking systems.

Some information handling systems provide wireless communications onmultiple communication protocols. For example, some information handlingsystems provide Bluetooth (BT) wireless communication capabilities andwireless local area network (WLAN) communication capabilities. Bluetoothis a wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology from the BluetoothSpecial Interest Group, and Bluetooth is an open standard forshort-range transmission of digital voice and data that supportspoint-to-point and multipoint applications. For WLAN communications,protocols within the IEEE 802.11 standard are often utilized. IEEE802.11 is a family of IEEE standards for WLANs that were designed toextend wired Ethernet into the wireless domain. The 802.11 standard ismore widely known as “Wi-Fi” because the Wi-Fi Alliance, an organizationindependent of IEEE, provides certification for products that conform tothe 802.11 standard. In addition to WiFi, there are other oldtechnologies and new evolving technologies that can be used to provideWLAN capabilities.

One problem with combined Bluetooth and WiFi communication capabilitiesis that Bluetooth and WiFi networks operate in the same frequencyspectrum. Filters on the front-end of communication systems forinformation handling systems using Bluetooth and WiFi communicationstypically include wideband filters that pass the entire WiFi spectrums.Thus, there is no channel selectivity provided by these filters for theWiFi communications. Because of the close proximity of the antennas thatprovide both Bluetooth and WiFi communications, Bluetooth and WiFitechnologies interfere with each other when operating simultaneously.This interference often results in significant data throughput reductionof both technologies.

A co-existence scheme, therefore, is desirable in order to reduce oreliminate interference between the two wireless technologies while theyare operating simultaneously in the same device. One such scheme iscalled the Bluetooth adaptive frequency hopping (AFH) channel avoidancescheme. This scheme attempts to design the hopping scheme for theBluetooth communications in such a way that WLAN channels are avoided.In another current co-existence scheme, a Bluetooth device monitorsoperating signals from a WiFi device and remains off during theoperation of the WiFi device. This results in improved WiFi (e.g.,802.11b/g) throughput, at the expense of a significant reduction of 90%or more in throughput in the Bluetooth communications. In addition, thistechnique requires the Bluetooth transmitter of the BT radio to beturned off while a receiver of the WiFi radio is receiving a signal inorder to avoid or reduce signal interference between Bluetooth and WiFicommunications. Another other prior system has used a divided spectrummethod to allow both BT and WiFi radios to operate simultaneously. Inthis solution, Bluetooth communications are allocated a fixedcommunication bandwidth, and the WiFi communications were allocated aseparate fixed communication bandwidth. Once these communicationbandwidths are divided and fixed, then communications can occur in theseparate bandwidths, thereby reducing interference. However, adisadvantage of this solution is that it forces a modification to theusable signal spectrums for both communication protocols.

Prior solutions to the problem of interference between Bluetoothcommunications and WLAN (e.g. WiFi) communications, therefore, have notefficiently and effectively dealt with the problem. Further solutionsthat reduce interference while preserving throughput are desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system for utilizingconfigurable front-end filter circuitry to reduce signal interferencebetween Bluetooth and wireless local area network (WLAN) communicationswith in an information handling system. Based upon the frequencylocation of WLAN communications and the frequency location of Bluetoothcommunications, the configurable front-end filter circuitry can beadjusted to provided selectivity to the WLAN communications and tofilter out Bluetooth communications. As the Bluetooth communicationfrequencies change or hop to different frequencies, the configurablefront-end filter circuitry can be reconfigured such that it continues tofilter out Bluetooth communications from the WLAN receiver circuitry.This electronically tunable front-end filter system for the WLANcommunications provides significant advantages and also allows existingBluetooth co-existence schemes, such as the Bluetooth AFH (AdaptiveFrequency Hopping) channel avoidance scheme, to operate properly in thesame proximity as a WLAN (e.g., 802.11 b/g) receiver thereby increasingand/or optimizing the Bluetooth throughput and the number of channelsusable by Bluetooth in information handling systems having bothcapabilities.

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method of reducing signalinterference between Bluetooth and WLAN communications in an informationhandling system, including providing an information handling system witha Bluetooth transceiver and a WLAN transceiver where the WLANtransceiver has a configurable front-end filter system, determining afrequency region for WLAN communications, determining a frequency regionfor Bluetooth communications that does not overlap with the WLANfrequency region, and setting the front-end filter system for the WLANtransceiver to reduce signals within the Bluetooth frequency region. Inaddition, the method can further include changing the frequency regionfor Bluetooth communications and again setting the front-end filtersystem for the WLAN receiver to reduce signals with the Bluetoothfrequency region. Further, the front-end filter system can beimplemented as a low pass filter and a high pass filter, as a tunablebandpass filter, or as some other desired filter system. Still further,the WLAN communications can be WiFi communications, and the Bluetoothcommunications can utilize an adaptive frequency hopping channelavoidance scheme. As described below, other features and variations canbe implemented, if desired, and related systems can be utilized, aswell.

In another embodiment, the present invention is an information handlingsystem having reduced interference between Bluetooth and WLANcommunications, including a Bluetooth transceiver configured tocommunicate in a Bluetooth frequency region, a Bluetooth basebandprocessor coupled to the Bluetooth transceiver, a WLAN transceiverconfigured to communicate in a WLAN frequency region and a WLAN basebandprocessor coupled to the WLAN transceiver, where the WLAN transceiverincludes configurable front-end filter circuitry having a control signalthat sets the front-end filter circuitry to filter frequencies withinthe Bluetooth frequency region. In addition, the WLAN baseband processorcan be configured to receive Bluetooth channel information from theBluetooth baseband processor and to use the Bluetooth channelinformation to generate the control signal. Further, the front-endfilter circuitry can include a switch coupled to a low pass filter and ahigh pass filter, the switch configured to select the low pass filter orthe high pass filter based upon the control signal. The front-end filtercircuitry can also include a tunable bandpass filter where the centerfrequency for the tunable bandpass filter is dependent upon the controlsignal. Other filter systems could also be utilized, as desired. Stillfurther, the Bluetooth communications can hop from channel to channel,and the WLAN processor can be configured to receive Bluetooth channelinformation from the Bluetooth baseband processor each time theBluetooth transceiver is to hop to a new channel. As described below,other features and variations can be implemented, if desired, and arelated method can be utilized, as well.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

It is noted that the appended drawings illustrate only exemplaryembodiments of the invention and are, therefore, not to be consideredlimiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equallyeffective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an information handling system havingBluetooth and WiFi communication capabilities and configurable WiFifront-end filter circuitry.

FIG. 2A is a diagram of front-end filter circuitry within a WiFitransceiver system using selectable low and high pass filters for theconfigurable WiFi front-end filter circuitry.

FIG. 2B is a signal diagram showing high pass filter selection in FIG.2A.

FIG. 2C is a signal diagram showing low pass filter selection in FIG.2A;

FIG. 3A is a diagram of an alternate embodiment for front-end filtercircuitry within a WiFi transceiver system using selectable low and highpass filters for the configurable WiFi front-end filter circuitry.

FIG. 3B is a signal diagram showing the bandpass filter in FIG. 3Acentered such that high frequencies are passed for WiFi channels;

FIG. 3C is a signal diagram showing bandpass filter in FIG. 3A centeredsuch that low frequencies are passed for WiFi channels;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an information handling system for reducingsignal interference between Bluetooth and WLAN communications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

For purposes of this disclosure, an information handling system mayinclude any instrumentality or aggregate of instrumentalities operableto compute, classify, process, transmit, receive, retrieve, originate,switch, store, display, manifest, detect, record, reproduce, handle, orutilize any form of information, intelligence, or data for business,scientific, control, or other purposes. For example, an informationhandling system may be a personal computer, a server computer system, anetwork storage device, or any other suitable device and may vary insize, shape, performance, functionality, and price. The informationhandling system may include random access memory (RAM), one or moreprocessing resources such as a central processing unit (CPU) or hardwareor software control logic, ROM, and/or other types of nonvolatilememory. Additional components of the information handling system mayinclude one or more disk drives, one or more network ports forcommunicating with external devices as well as various input and output(I/O) devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a video display. Theinformation handling system may also include one or more buses operableto transmit communications between the various hardware components.

The present invention provides systems and methods for reducing signalinterference between Bluetooth and wireless local area network (WLAN)communications in an information handling system. Based upon thefrequency location of WLAN communications and the frequency location ofBluetooth communications, a configurable front-end WLAN filter systemcan be set or adjusted to provided selectivity to the WLANcommunications and to filter out Bluetooth communications.

FIG. 1 is an example embodiment for an information handling systemhaving Bluetooth and WLAN capabilities and a configurable front-end WLANfilter system. FIG. 2A and FIG. 3A provide different embodiments forimplementing the configurable front-end WLAN filter circuitry. FIGS. 2Band 2C provide example filter selections based upon the circuitry ofFIG. 2A. FIGS. 3B and 3C provide example filter tuning based upon thecircuitry of FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is an example process for achieving reducedinterference. Although the below discussion related to these drawingsfocuses on WiFi communications as the WLAN protocol, other WLANprotocols and solutions could also be utilized. As discussed above,“WiFi” refers to a WLAN protocol that meets the IEEE 802.11 family ofstandards.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an information handling system 100 having bothBluetooth (BT) transceiver 102 and WiFi transceiver 108. The Bluetoothtransceiver 102 is configured to provide Bluetooth communications, and aBluetooth baseband processor 104 is coupled to the Bluetooth transceiver102 to provide the Bluetooth related signal processing. The WiFitransceiver 108 is configured to communicate in a WLAN frequency regionto provide WiFi communications, and a WiFi baseband processor 106 iscoupled to the WiFi transceiver 108 to provide the WiFi related signalprocessing. The WiFi transceiver 108 also includes configurablefront-end filter circuitry 150, as discussed in further detail below,that can be set to filter out the Bluetooth communications. The WiFibaseband processor 106 and the BT baseband processor 104 can communicatewith each other to provide control signals and information concerningBluetooth and WiFi channel information and operation.

In operation, as discussed further below, a frequency region can firstbe determined for WiFi (or WLAN) communications. A frequency region canthen be determined for Bluetooth communications that does not overlapwith the WiFi (or WLAN) frequency region. The front-end filter circuitry150 is then configured or selected for the WiFi transceiver 108 toreduce signals within the Bluetooth frequency region. As the Bluetoothcommunications hop between frequencies, the configurable front-endfilter circuitry 150 can be reconfigured so that the Bluetoothcommunications are filtered. As such, while the Bluetooth communicationshop from frequency to frequency, the configurable front-end filtercircuitry 150 is configured and reconfigured based upon the next BT hopfrequency.

FIGS. 2A-C and FIGS. 3A-C provide example embodiments for theconfigurable front-end WiFi filter circuitry 150. In particular, FIG. 2Adepicts an embodiment in which selectable low pass and high pass filtersare used, and FIG. 3A depicts an embodiment in which a bandpass filteris used.

It is understood that any type of configurable or selectable filterimplementation and any number of individual filters, either passive oractive or both, could be used to provide the filter selection capabilityfor the WiFi transceiver 108. According to the present invention, thisconfigurable front-end filter circuitry is used to filter out Bluetoothcommunications as the Bluetooth communications move from frequency tofrequency and allow for the Bluetooth communications to move above andbelow the WLAN communication channels. Because the Bluetooth region canmove around, for example, through Bluetooth frequency hops, it isdesirable and advantageous to have the ability to change the location orresponse of the filters used. The WiFi processor can be configured toreceive Bluetooth channel information from the Bluetooth basebandprocessor each time the Bluetooth transceiver is to hop to a newchannel. The tunable bandpass filter 302 can then adjust theconfigurable front-end filter circuitry accordingly depending upon thelocation of the Bluetooth frequency region with respect to the WLANfrequency region. The present invention, therefore, allows forsimultaneous operation of Bluetooth and WLAN communications where theBluetooth frequency region will sometimes be at higher frequencies thanthe WLAN frequency region and, at other times, will be at lowerfrequencies than the WLAN frequency region. This configurability of thefilter circuitry to follow the location of the Bluetooth communicationsprovides significant advantages.

Looking now to FIG. 2A, an example embodiment is depicted for front-endfilter circuitry 150 within a WiFi transceiver 108 using selectablefilters. Signals received by the WiFi transceiver 108 are processed bythe front-end filter circuitry 150 before being passed on for furtherprocessing by the WiFi processor 106, as shown in FIG. 1. As shown inFIG. 2A, one configuration of selectable filters may be a low passfilter 204 and a high pass filter 206 coupled to a switch 202. Theswitch 202 determines whether the input WiFi signal is processed by thelow pass filter 204 or by the high pass filter 206 before being passedon for further WiFi signal processing. A filter selection signal 210,for example, from the WiFi baseband processor 106, can be used to makethe filter selection between the low pass filter 204 and the high passfilter 206. If the Bluetooth frequency region for Bluetoothcommunications is higher than the WiFi frequency region for WiFicommunications, the low pass filter 204 is selected. If the Bluetoothfrequency region for Bluetooth communications is lower than the WiFifrequency region for WiFi communications, the high pass filter 204 isselected. The filter selection signal 210, therefore, allows theconfigurable front-end filter circuitry 150 to be configured to filterout BT communications, thereby improving the performance of the WiFitransceiver even while BT communications are simultaneously occurring.

FIG. 2B shows a signal diagram 240 where the high pass filter 206 hasbeen selected in FIG. 2A. Frequencies (f) are represented by the x-axis246, and signals are represented by the y-axis 242. As depicted, WiFicommunications are expected to occur within a first frequency region(WiFi region) that is to the right of the dotted line 252. Element 250represents the WiFi communication channel with its center frequency inthe middle of the WiFi channel 250. Bluetooth communications areexpected to occur in a different frequency region (BT region) that is tothe left of the dotted line 252. The dotted line 252 represents thetransition between the BT region and the WiFi region and correlates tothe corner frequency for the high pass filter (HPF) 206. The line 248represents the filter response for the HPF 206. Thus, to the left of thedotted line 252, the HPF 206 tends to block or filter out frequencies asshown by the HPF filter response 248. To the right of the dotted line252, the HPF 206 tends to allow or pass frequencies as shown by the HPFfilter response 248. The configurable front-end filter circuitry 150within the WiFi transceiver 108, therefore, effectively blocks out theBluetooth communications and allows the WiFi communications, therebyimproving performance of the WiFi communications even though Bluetoothand WiFi communications are occurring at the same time.

FIG. 2C shows a signal diagram 260 where the low pass filter 204 hasbeen selected in FIG. 2A. Again, frequencies (f) are represented by thex-axis 246, and signals are represented by the y-axis 242. As depicted,WiFi communications are expected to occur within a first frequencyregion (WiFi region) that is to the left of the dotted line 252. Element250 again represents the WiFi communication channel with its centerfrequency in the middle of the WiFi channel 250. Bluetoothcommunications are expected to occur in a different frequency region (BTregion) that is to the right of the dotted line 252. The dotted line 252represents the transition between the BT region and the WiFi region andcorrelates to the corner frequency for the low pass filter (LPF) 204.The line 262 represents the filter response for the LPF 204. Thus, tothe right of the dotted line 252, the LPF 204 tends to block or filterout frequencies as shown by the LPF filter response 262. To the left ofthe dotted line 252, the LPF 204 tends to allow or pass frequencies asshown by the LPF filter response 262. The configurable front-end filtercircuitry 150 within the WiFi transceiver 108, therefore, effectivelyblocks out the Bluetooth communications and allows the WiFicommunications, thereby improving performance of the WiFi communicationseven though Bluetooth and WiFi communications are occurring at the sametime.

FIG. 3A shows an alternative embodiment for configurable front-endfilter circuitry 150 using a tunable bandpass filter. A tunable bandpassfilter 302 receives the WiFi input signal before it is passed on foradditional WiFi signal processing. A filter tuning signal 304, forexample, from the WiFi baseband processor 106, can be used to select oradjust the tuning for the bandpass filter 302. For example, the centerfrequency for the tunable bandpass filter 302 can be dependent upon thefilter tuning signal 304. The WiFi processor 106 selects the centerfrequency for the tunable bandpass frequency 302 based upon the locationof the Bluetooth frequency region. If the Bluetooth frequency region forBluetooth communications is higher than the WiFi frequency region forWiFi communications, the tunable bandpass filter 302 is moved lower suchthat its upper end covers the location for WiFi communications. If theBluetooth frequency region for Bluetooth communications is lower thanthe WiFi frequency region for WiFi communications, the tunable bandpassfilter is moved higher such that its lower end covers the location forWiFi communications. The filter selection signal 304, therefore, allowsthe configurable front-end filter circuitry 150 to be configured tofilter out BT communications, thereby improving the performance of theWiFi transceiver even while BT communications are simultaneouslyoccurring.

FIG. 3B shows a signal diagram 340 illustrating an environment where theBT frequency region is lower than the WiFi frequency region. Again,frequencies (f) are represented by the x-axis 246, and signals arerepresented by the y-axis 242. As depicted, WiFi communications areexpected to occur within a first frequency region (WiFi region) that isto the right of the dotted line 352. Element 250 again represents theWiFi communication channel with its center frequency in the middle ofthe WiFi channel 250. Bluetooth communications are expected to occur ina different frequency region (BT region) that is to the left of thedotted line 352. The dotted line 352 represents the transition betweenthe BT region and the WiFi region correlates to the lower cornerfrequency for the bandpass filter (BPF) 302. The line 354 represents thebandpass filter (BPF) response for the BPF 302. Thus, below the dottedline 352, the BPF 302 tends to block or filter out frequencies as shownby the BPF filter response 354. Above the dotted line 352, the BPF 302tends to allow or pass frequencies, as shown by the BPF filter response354, up until the upper frequency corner of the BPF 302. The bandpassfilter 302, therefore, has been centered such that the WiFi channel 250falls within the lower end of the frequencies passed by bandpass filter302. The configurable front-end filter circuitry 150 within the WiFitransceiver 108 effectively blocks out the Bluetooth communications andallows the WiFi communications, thereby improving performance of theWiFi communications even though Bluetooth and WiFi communications areoccurring at the same time.

FIG. 3C shows a signal diagram 340 illustrating an environment where theBT frequency region is higher than the WiFi frequency region. Again,frequencies (f) are represented by the x-axis 246, and signals arerepresented by the y-axis 242. As depicted, WiFi communications areexpected to occur within a first frequency region (WiFi region) that isto the left of the dotted line 352. Element 250 again represents theWiFi communication channel with its center frequency in the middle ofthe WiFi channel 250. Bluetooth communications are expected to occur ina different frequency region (BT region) that is to the right of thedotted line 352. The dotted line 352 represents the transition betweenthe BT region and the WiFi region and correlates to the upper cornerfrequency for the bandpass filter (BPF) 302. The line 354 represents thebandpass filter (BPF) response for the BPF 302. Thus, above the dottedline 352, the BPF 302 tends to block or filter out frequencies as shownby the BPF filter response 354. Below the dotted line 352, the BPF 302tends to allow or pass frequencies, as shown by the BPF filter response354, up until the lower frequency corner of the BPF 302. The bandpassfilter 302, therefore, has been centered such that the WiFi channel 250falls within the upper end of the frequencies passed by bandpass filter302. The configurable front-end filter circuitry 150 within the WiFitransceiver 108 effectively blocks out the Bluetooth communications andallows the WiFi communications, thereby improving performance of theWiFi communications even though Bluetooth and WiFi communications areoccurring at the same time.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for an example embodiment 400 of a process forreducing signal interference between Bluetooth and WLAN communicationswith respect to an information handling system that includes both aBluetooth transceiver and a WLAN (e.g. WiFi) transceiver, with the WLANtransceiver having configurable front-end filter circuitry. First, instep 402, Bluetooth and WiFi radio communications are initialized. Instep 404, the Bluetooth processor determines the WLAN channel that isbeing used for WLAN communications. In step 406, the Bluetooth processorselects a Bluetooth communication channel frequency. In step 408, theWLAN processor receives the Bluetooth channel information from theBluetooth processor. In step 410, the WLAN processor determines settingsfor the configurable front-end filter circuitry. As discussed above, theconfigurable front-end filter circuitry can be implemented as a widevariety of filter systems that can filter out BT communications as theyhop around to different frequencies. The settings determined in step 410will depend upon the filter circuitry utilized. For example, withrespect to FIG. 2A, the setting is the filter control signal thatselects between the low pass filter 204 and the high pass filter 206.With respect to FIG. 3A, the setting is the filter tuning signal thatdetermines the center frequency for the bandpass filter. In step 412,these filter settings are received by the WiFi transceiver, and the WiFitransceiver sets the filter circuitry accordingly. In step 414, theBluetooth transceiver hops to a next Bluetooth channel. When thisoccurs, the process repeats back to step 408. Thus, each time the BTcommunications move to a new channel or hop from channel to channel, theWiFi transceiver can set the configurable front-end filter circuitryaccordingly.

The methods and systems disclosed, therefore, effectively redesign theWLAN receiver front-end filter circuitry to reduce the bandwidth of WLANsignals allowed to pass unfiltered to the WLAN processor. As describedabove, electronically tunable or configurable filters can be used, suchas narrow band, high-Q pre-select filters (e.g., a single bandpassfilter or switchable high pass and low pass filters) with a center orcorner frequency being tuned via varactor diode or through the use ofother electronically tunable circuitry. The disclosed embodimentsutilize Bluetooth frequency knowledge to set the configurable front-endfilter circuitry on the side of the WLAN signal spectrum to which theBluetooth signal has hopped. If desired, by designing the filter forprecise attenuation on one band edge, the number of poles required inthe filter can be reduced, thereby reducing costs. As indicated above,the filter circuitry could also be implemented using active or passivefilters, as desired, and could be integrated into a BT or WLANintegrated circuit. The disclosed systems and methods also allowBluetooth communications utilizing the adaptive frequency hopping (AFH)channel avoidance scheme, which is currently being implemented in somesolutions. In summary, the disclosed systems and methods help reduce theoperational interference caused by Bluetooth communications in the sameproximity as WLAN (e.g., WiFi) communications, thereby improvingBluetooth throughput and increasing the number of channels usable forBluetooth communications, as compared with prior solutions.

Further modifications and alternative embodiments of this invention willbe apparent to those skilled in the art in view of this description. Itwill be recognized, therefore, that the present invention is not limitedby these example arrangements. Accordingly, this description is to beconstrued as illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching thoseskilled in the art the manner of carrying out the invention. It is to beunderstood that the forms of the invention herein shown and describedare to be taken as the presently preferred embodiments. Various changesmay be made in the implementations and architectures. For example,equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustrated anddescribed herein, and certain features of the invention may be utilizedindependently of the use of other features, all as would be apparent toone skilled in the art after having the benefit of this description ofthe invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of reducing signal interference betweensimultaneous Bluetooth and WLAN communications in an informationhandling system, comprising: providing an information handling systemwith a Bluetooth transceiver and a WLAN transceiver, the WLANtransceiver having a configurable front-end filter system including atunable bandpass filter; identifying a channel for WLAN communications;selecting a channel for Bluetooth communications, the Bluetoothcommunications configured to utilize a plurality of different channels;determining whether a frequency location for the channel for Bluetoothcommunications is higher or lower than the channel for WLANcommunications; tuning the bandpass filter to pass frequencies includingthe channel for WLAN communications and to filter the channel forBluetooth communications; operating the Bluetooth transceiver and theWLAN transceiver to provide simultaneous Bluetooth and WLANcommunications; hopping to a different one of the plurality of differentchannels for the Bluetooth communications; and repeating thedetermining, tuning, operating and hopping steps for each of theplurality of different channels.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theBluetooth communications are configured to utilize an adaptive frequencyhopping channel avoidance scheme.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein theWLAN communications comprise WiFi communications.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein a center frequency for the bandpass filter is electronicallytunable.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a WLANprocessor to control WLAN communications and a Bluetooth processor tocontrol Bluetooth communications, and further comprising providingBluetooth channel information from the Bluetooth processor to the WLANprocessor after the hopping step.
 6. An information handling systemhaving reduced interference between simultaneous Bluetooth and WLANcommunications, comprising: a Bluetooth transceiver configured toprovide Bluetooth communications; a Bluetooth baseband processor coupledto the Bluetooth transceiver; a WLAN transceiver configured tocommunicate on a channel for WLAN communications and having aconfigurable front-end filter circuitry including a tunable bandpassfilter; and a WLAN baseband processor coupled to the WLAN transceiver;wherein the Bluetooth transceiver and the WLAN transceiver areconfigured for simultaneous communications; wherein the Bluetoothcommunications hop from channel to channel to each one of a plurality ofdifferent channels for Bluetooth communications; and wherein the WLANbaseband processor is configured to repeatedly tune the tunable bandpassfilter for the plurality of different channels used for the Bluetoothcommunications to pass frequencies including the channel for WLANcommunications and to filter frequencies including the channel forBluetooth communications.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein theBluetooth communications are configured to utilize an adaptive frequencyhopping channel avoidance scheme.
 8. The information handling system ofclaim 6, wherein the WLAN baseband processor is configured to receiveBluetooth channel information from the Bluetooth baseband processor andto use the Bluetooth channel information to tune the tunable bandpassfilter.
 9. The information handling system of claim 6, wherein the WLANcommunications comprise WiFi communications.
 10. The informationhandling system of claim 6, wherein a center frequency for the bandpassfilter is electronically tunable.
 11. The information handling system ofclaim 6, wherein the WLAN baseband processor is configured to receiveBluetooth channel information from the Bluetooth baseband processor whenthe Bluetooth transceiver hops to a new channel.